Our weekend at 37 weeks pregnant

This was a very eventful weekend at the Harvey household, which is probably why I'm feeling pretty exhausted today.

Friday night. . . 

my loving hubby bought us tickets to the Hunger Games. So- we did our first, arrive- an-hour-early to stakeout and good spot in line and get a good seat. We picked up a quick sandwich from Potbelly's after we found out that the theatre lets you bring outside food in, and got to eat in line. The movie was AWESOME to all of those who have read the books. I thought it was a perfect depiction of the first book. AND I stayed up until almost midnight.

Saturday


We ran errands early in the day. . . We headed out to Target to get some necessities, and to Home Depot to get blinds for the nursery, a curtain rod, and some supplies to build a planters box! I have been begging for a garden since we moved in, but last year we had so many problems with our lawn and difficulty scoping out a good spot that it was just too late. So we picked up 3- 2 X 12 X 8 pieces of wood, and 1- 4 X 4 X 8, and 5 bags of Miracle Grow Garden Soil to get started. It was so beautiful outside that I did yard work, while Luke tended to the manly stuff like sawing, screwing, and building.   I am absolutely in love with the finished product. We haven't actually "planted" anything in there yet (after all, it is only March) and it turns out, we need quite a bit more soil, but I am absolutely in love with the finished product!

The nursery is preettttyyy much finished, too. Here are some pics of the newest additions:

I then got to spend some time with my best friend from high school, Allison, who happened to be in town from D.C. where she is in Law School. I got to chat with her and her parents and I just felt so at home. I'm lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

Sunday

I woke up not feeling so hot. Sore from all of my manual labor, and kind of like I was hit with a ton of bricks. But our friends/lovely neighbors convinced us to go on a walk/ bike ride for their 4 year old, and we ended up playing at the park for quite a while. Believe it or not, I see saw-ed, did the zip line, attempted the monkey bars, and swung. We then walked up to Trader Joes and picked up a variety of pregnancy treats (ex. pineapple, popcicles). After some intense motivating, Luke and I baked 2 loafs of oatmeal cranberry bread, and I made my world-famous spicy spinach lasagna. 

It was very moist and delicious (as you can tell by the fact that over half the other loaf is already gone!)

I am really exhausted today, and have vowed to do little to nothing else besides maybe read my book . I'm so glad that we got outside and stayed busy all weekend! 

9 months and counting down

Phew! A lot has happened since my last blog post. I have been so ridiculously busy and tiiiired that blogging has really not been a priority (oops!)

Curtains
I know I mentioned previously, but I really wanted to sew some curtains to cover the closet, as well as sew some sort of valence. My wonderful sister in law came over a couple weeks ago for what we called a sewing party/my first attempt at sewing a real "thing." The plan was for me to sew on my grandma's sewing machine, while Josie sewed on hers. . . Well mine turned out not functioning properly and is in need of a little tune up, so we both ended up using hers. (My momma later found the instruction manual for my grandma's sewing machine, so I will definitely be giving it another go!) After some hard work, trial and error (on my part) and much assistance from my wonderful sis-in-law, we got 'em done!

Getting my sew on

I am very pleased with the finished product!

Very proud of our hard work

Maternity photos

Two weekends ago, Luke and I had our maternity photo shoot with one of our amazingly talented wedding photographers. We headed out to Como Park at 9:00 am on one of the most beautiful days of the spring. It was 60 degrees, sunny, and we were excited! Its weird- because I know a lot of women feel so beautiful when they are pregnant. The "glow", is what everyone calls it. I definitely don't feel the glow, but I enjoy being pregnant. I maybe don't feel beautiful, but I love the feeling of having a baby in my belly! Anyways- Here's a sneak peek at a couple of the photos. We should be getting the rest soon:

So after maternity photos, came the fun. . . . and by fun, I mean:

Our car got stolen

I woke up last Tuesday morning to go to work, and found that our garage had been pried open (and was stuck open about a foot) and Luke's car had been removed. So after filing a claim with the police department, an claim on our home owners insurance, and a claim on our auto insurance, we play the waiting game. . . The waiting game lasts until the car is found, or 30 days from the date the car was stolen. (which just so happens to be within days of my due date). Couldn't be better timing! 

3rd baby shower

On a happier note, I had my 3rd baby shower last weekend, hosted by one of my mom's best friends, Kathy! It was a room filled with some of my mom's closest friends, who were all so generous and thoughtful. The decorations were absolutely adorable I just had to share. 

This tree (which we got to bring home) had little slips hung on them where guests could write messages to the baby: Wishes, hopes and dreams. 

Even the water bottles were personalized: Welcome Baby Harvey

The food and punch was delicious!

We played a "guess how many jelly beans are in the bag" game- (which, did you know that in a small bag of jelly beans, they estimate there's over 600 jelly beans in the bag!?), and a couple other games.  Then came the shower of gifts for the baby to be. Everyone was so generous and so thoughtful, my mom is so lucky to have such amazing friends! One of the things we did get is the crib bedding, so I just HAD to post a pic.

This just melts my heart

How I'm feeling

So far so good. I am officially 36 1/2 weeks (yes the 1/2 week matters in the count down). I'm getting a little uncomfortable. Its unbelievably how much pressure there is on my bladder- not to mention I am going to the bathroom twice an hour. Luke tells me I don't have the pregnancy waddle, but I definitely feel like I do. I think we are finally ready. Luke keeps saying, "I'm ready for her to be here," and honestly so am I. He's so much more calm than I am though. I think he's already in dad mode. Keeping me calm, and taking care of me. Putting my shoes on for me, and helping me with all my unreasonable demands and mood swings. We have our hospital bag packed, clothes washed, room organized, now we wait. I start my weekly doc appointments this week, so it is finally feeling real! I'll keep you updated with the progress :)

Breast feeding, Pictures, and life at 34 weeks preggers!

Breast feeding


Phew! A lot has happened since my last blog post. As you can tell by the title of the post, we had our last, but not least informative baby class through Amma Maternity all about the beauty and benefits of breast feeding. Luke accompanied me to the class, and I was glad because we were skeptical to have him come, but there ended up being about 10 other spouses with us. The class was 2 1/2 hours packed with information about all of the how-to's, whens, and wheres of breast feeding your baby. They started off the course by congratulating everyone in the course for choosing to breast feed their baby, because unbeknownst to me, there are a TON of benefits to doing this. We learned that a mother's breast milk is the perfect concoction of nutrients to not only feed baby, but also maintain the pH level in the GI system and can protect from a number of different illnesses. Some including:

• Athsma
• Appendicitis
• Bacterial infections
• Celiac disease
• Childhood cancers
• Colitis
• Crohn's disease
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Dental cavities
• GI reflux
• Inguinal hernias
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• MS
• Ear infections
• Respiratory tract illnesses
• Liver disease
• UTIs
• S.I.D.S

Not only is this great, but breast feeding your baby can also help with bonding, mother's weight loss, is natural, convenient, and free!

After the class I was really confident that this is something I can do. I know it will be challenging when I go back to work, but it's best for the baby and for me!

Pictures

This morning, bright and early, Luke and I had a maternity photo shoot with one of wonderfully talented wedding photographers. She was offering a March special for a 45 minute session for $60. She took over 600 pictures in that amount of time and will end up narrowing it down to 25 pics, that we will eventually have rights to on a disc. We should get them back within about 2 weeks. There was a lot of kissing the belly, holding the belly to accentuate how large it is, hugs, kisses, and smiles. Lindsay did an amazing job making us feel comfortable and helping us "act natural"  act as natural as we could while being photographed. Can't wait to see the pics and share them with all of you!

34 weeks pregnant!

Went with a bare belly pic this week. I'm feeling a little risque, haha a.k.a. Luke told me it was appropriate. 

I had my 34 week appointment last week. I was kind of disappointed because they didn't do any "checking" of anything, but they measured my belly- I'm measuring right on; they weighed me- I was up 1 lb from 2 weeks ago. I guess my weight gain has been good. I have a feeling that since my appetite has become larger than life, I will be gaining at an exponential rate (making up for lost lbs). We I forgot the Birth Plan on the counter so unfortunately we couldn't go over that with our midwife, but I signed the consent to do a waterbirth, so if I end up feeling comfortable in there, we may give it a go! We got to hear a big, strong heart beat, and the baby is still head down! The midwife did also say that the baby is really tucked up in my rib cage, which- yeah! I could have told you that! Her butt literally rests on the edge of my ribs and I can feel them being stretched out like a wish bone being ready to crack. There are times where I'll have to push down because it hurts, and I'm usually answered back with some kicks. This baby is stubborn like her mom, already! Kicks have become SO powerful and SO frequent that I am just amazed.  I got a lot of positive feedback from people about the belly video of baby kicking so I decided to post another!

Things are progressing. Did a ton of organizing, cleaning, and re-arranging in the nursery this past week. We also got the hospital bag almost fully packed, so whenever baby decides to grace us with her presents, we are ready!

5 weeks and counting!

Baby shower #2

Today was absolutely amazing. My good friend, Shari, threw me my 2nd baby shower at my all-time favorite restaurant, Boca Chica.

We had an awesome mix of people there including co-workers, old work friends, friends from high school, friends from work, and a few family members. It was so much fun to have the room filled with people I care about so much. I came home feeling incredibly grateful. 

We ate some delicious food, we were lucky enough to eat there during their brunch buffet, and let me tell you- I definitely got my moneys worth! We played a game where we had to name what different baby animals are called. I was incredibly surprised with the number of people that knew some of the names! The decor was also adorable, we had a little clothes line with a number of different items hung on it, and at the end of the shower, the items were taken down. People were then instructed to remember what was hanging up- whoever remembered the most (of the 22 items) won a prize!

How cute is this decor!

After food and games, we opened presents. And boy did we have a LOT to haul home. First off, each guest was asked to, instead of a card, buy the baby a book and write a personalized message in it. So not only did she get a TON of great gifts, but we also got enough books to fill up our soon-to-be book shelves. The notes were so thoughtful and most of them made me emotional! I'm entirely too emotional for all of this!

Our temporary book shelf

We got so many things that are going to be SO useful, including a boppy pillow, a high chair, bouncer, baby swing, and my wonderful co-workers got us our stroller! We got so many other items, too, an adorable outfit, a pair of Keens that are probably the cutest baby shoes I have ever seen, and a ton of other practical items that I know are going to get used every day. 

Shari also asked what type of desert I wanted, and I am totally not big on sweets, so she made a diaper cake in place of a real cake!

Could this be any cuter?

The diaper cake was filled with- well diapers (both disposable and reusable!), onesies, sleepers, toys, pacifiers, a blanket, lotion, shampoo, body wash, socks, a tutu, and as you can see- an adorable pair of baby sunglasses. 

This baby is so blessed and so lucky to have so many amazing, giving people in her life, and I couldn't be more grateful to call these people my friends. The shower was so much fun and I can't wait for baby Harvey to meet everyone so soon! Thanks again to everyone who was a part of today! Feeling more and more prepared every day!

Dear Baby,

So I have been thinking recently about writing a letter to the baby in my tummy. I know, I know- It sounds kind of weird at first, right? But how amazing would it be to look back on my experiences so far and read the letter to my child at different milestones in her life; graduation, marriage, and maybe some day when she has her own children. I have had many sleepless nights, insomnia and it has really made me think about how cool it would be to do this. So- I'm giving it a shot. If its dumb, I mean- there's always a delete button, right!? Here goes. . . 

Dear baby to be,

Here I sit, 8 months pregnant thinking about how there are so many things I want to tell you. In 6 short weeks (maybe more, hopefully less) you will enter this world. I want to start off by explaining my journey thus far. It has been amazing- pregnancy-and I hope one day you can experience it like I have. It begins with just a thought about one day having a baby, grows into little flutters in your tummy, and turns into what I feel now; rolls, punches and kicks, which only heighten my anticipation to meet you. 

There are so many things we think about- your dad and I. What will you BE like? We have hypothesized about who you will look like. Will you have my curly hair and big brown eyes? My short stature? Or will you be a toe head like your dad was when he was a baby, and tall and slender like the rest of the Harvey clan? Will you be a perfect combination of the both of us, so when we look at you, we argue about who you look like more? No matter who you resemble, I have no doubt that you will be the most beautiful baby in the world. We wonder what kind of passions you will have: Will you be into the arts? Play sports? Whatever you choose, I hope that it makes you happy. Your dad and I have talked about what your personality will be like. How can we ensure you grow to be kind, giving, thoughtful, selfless, and caring? Appreciate peoples differences, and love unconditionally? This is our first time around- so please be patient with us. We promise to be patient with you, too.

I want to let you know that you are so special and I love you so much already. Its unbelievable- indescribable actually. We haven't even met you yet, but yet I know that the minute you enter this world, my life is going to change forever. In such an incredible way. All of these sleepless nights spent hypothesizing about whether or not I will be a good parent are coming to an end. In a month & 1/2, we will be put to the test. I hope that by the time you are old enough to appreciate this letter I have served you well and have been a mother that you can admire and aspire to be like. 

Baby, I think I am ready to meet you now. I am growing more and more tired. My back hurts, I waddle like a duck, and it looks like I swallowed a basketball. You're getting so big and so strong that sometimes it feels like you're going to kick right out of my belly. Your dad and I are here whenever you feel ready to grace us with your presence. For now, I will just love you unconditionally inside my belly. 

See you soon,

Mom